Heading West in Med

We left Marina di Ragusa in Sicily later than most cruisers due to solving a corrupted fuel issue. We'd filled with some dreadful "biodiesel" in Turkey and ended up with "fuel snot" that clogged the filters. While the biocide was eating the bad stuff in the fuel tank we took 5 weeks and traveled around Great Britain during the rainest April on record. Still had a great time going counterclockwise from London up to Scotland and to Wales and Dartmoor and back. We spent 7 days in London. It was one of our very best trips and we plan to return as soon as we have saved enough money. It doesn't come cheap.

So in June, after fixing up CYAN to cruise, we took off from Sicily saying goodbye with a tear to the grand time we had in Italy. We thought we would spend some time in Sardinia but we hate marinas and the anchorages are dreadful. They are open and rolly and I get cranky with bad sleep. So we took off for the Balearics hearing that the anchorages are better. When getting a Vodaphone usb key for net connection our credit card was compromised by the dealer [we hadn't used it anywhere else and within minutes over $1000 was charged] and we had to have some new ones sent to Spain, held for our arrival. It was caught immediately by our faithful account rep, Helene, at Merrill Lynch...bless her.

                               It's often Clothing optional for the Captain!

The Balearic Islands; Minorca, Mallorca and Ibiza, did have better anchorages but most were just filled with discos blaring until 5am, jetskiers, water skiers, and super yachts moving around way too fast. this makes it more rolly than the sea! We are not big fans of cruising in the Med even though we have enjoyed seeing the European locations with their history and art but at great expense....more than the USA now.

                                                Water is crystal clear

We are in the south of Spain at present, waiting for a few miscellaneous parts and doing a great clean up. Here in Almerimar, they have blocks and blocks built huge condos that are unoccupied or unfinished and already going dirty and getting rundown with graffiti and fruit flies that are astounding. Remember the big Med Fly trauma years ago? Now we know why they worked so hard to keep them out. You have to cover your mouth to talk! In a few days we head to Gibraltar for a while and get to travel around Spain for a few weeks.

                               Impressive rock cliff anchorage in Mallorca

In about September we hope to be heading to Morocco and perhaps on to Senegal in Africa. Then it's the Canaries, Cape Verde Islands in the Atlantic and in December we head home to Florida.

Compared to our other locations and adventures our latest travels have been pretty routine so excuse our lack of enthusiasm. We do hear good things about Africa and we usually find third world countries to be more interesting and welcoming.